Sam Brown ’20 during Choate’s 1-1 draw against The Lawrenceville School last Saturday.
This past Saturday, Girls’ Varsity Soccer was faced with a tough matchup against Lawrenceville, which was reflected in a final score of 1-1. As the game begun, Choate struck first with a goal from captain Emily Clorite ’18. The first half was a very back and forth game, as Choate would attack Lawrenceville for 15 minutes before Lawrenceville would gain possession, counter, and then they would attack for the next 15 minutes, giving the game a roller coaster-like feel. The teams seemed evenly matched throughout the first half, and the scoreboard reflected that when Lawrenceville tied the game up. The Choate team played really well, but Lawrenceville was able to play with them.
In the second half, Choate began to dominate the game as they have done so often under Coach Rick Koczak. Choate had the majority of chances in the second half, including a great chance off of a corner from Erin Martin ’20 that Nicola Sommers ’19 volleyed just wide of the net. A few moments later, an excellent shot from Martin went just past the net, with the score still even at 1 goal each. Choate was able to consistently generate opportunities against the strong Lawrenceville team but couldn’t seem to find the back of the net, and the girls were just unable to convert those chances into goals.
Choate had the ball on offense most of the second half, but Lawrenceville was able to create some opportunities of their own. For the most part, the Lawrenceville offense was shut down by Cecilia Curran ’20, Emily Clorite ’18, and Grace Stapelberg ’20. Goalie Jordan Small ’19 was excellent, as she saved nearly every shot that Lawrenceville was able to take. As a result from these strong showings and clutch defending, the Wild Boars were able to earn a 1-1 draw.
After the game Clorite said, “Overall, I think we played well together as a team and we were able to keep our composure under some really intense circumstances.” This poise under pressure will certainly bode well for the side as they head into October.
Despite the draw, the team showed tremendous heart and effort. Choate played much better than the Lawrenceville team in the second half. The story of the game was that, despite the offensive chances created by Sommers ’19 and Martin ’20. The team just could not capitalize on those opportunities in front of the goal.
With big games against Westminster, Worcester, and Phillips Andover coming up, the girls look to pick up more wins as the season begins to heat up. They have shown clear tenacity in pulling out a hard-fought draw against a gritty Lawrenceville, as well as both offensive defensive prowess in games like Exeter and Sacred Heart. All of these combined should hopefully give them the tools they need to make another deep playoff push.
